Christina Rock’s first memory was the day her mother was diagnosed with HIV, a virus that infects about 40,000 Americans each year. A short time afterward, at the age of 2 and 1/2, Rock also tested positive for HIV. She became the first infant diagnosed with HIV in the Florida Keys. Rock kept her diagnosis a secret from her friends until she was 10 years old. “They started treating me like I was fragile – like I was glass,” said Rock, who is now 22 years old. “They were kind of afraid.” Rock broke her streak of silence and began speaking publicly to groups of college students across the country. “You have to think, ‘Does HIV look like me?’ because it’s 2006, and it looks like me, and it looks like you,” Rock said. To promote awareness and education about HIV and AIDS and combat the stigma that is attached to the viruses, the Student Health Center and the Union Program Council sponsored an open dialogue about the topic featuring three speakers living with HIV. “Hope’s Voice is a national HIV and AIDS program dedicated to promoting the prevention and education of HIV and AIDS to young adults,” said Hope McPhatter, Wellness Education coordinator. “Hope’s Voice uses open dialogue and peer-to-peer education through both speaker appearances of young adults living with HIV and AIDS and progressive programs with the crucial message that HIV and AIDS do not discriminate.” McPhatter said the “Hope’s Voice” program was brought to the University to commemorate World AIDS Day which is on Dec. 1. “When half of all new cases of HIV belong to people under the age of 25, it is very important to LSU and any other universities,” she said. “I want people to remember that HIV is still out there. We tend to think that nothing bad will ever happen to us, but I want people to know that HIV does not discriminate and could happen to anyone unless they protect themselves.” The Wellness Education Department and the Family Services of Greater Baton Rouge will sponsor free HIV testing in the Union from noon to 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Anonymous and confidential testing and counseling will be available. Lance Smith, another speaker representing “Hope’s Voice,” shared his story at the event. “HIV is not something that’s talked about enough,” he said. Smith, 23, said he was addicted to drugs and alcohol at a young age. At 19 years old, he decided to take an HIV test and later received a phone call that confirmed his positive diagnosis. “I was shocked,” he said. “I thought this couldn’t be me. I passed out, and when I woke up, I tried to kill myself.” Smith, who was born in Oklahoma, said he was unable to make an appointment with a doctor near his hometown because many of the doctors were not qualified to deal with HIV. “I didn’t know anyone my age living with AIDS,” he said. “People were uneducated, and I lost a lot of friends.” Smith continued to use drugs, dropped out of college and lived homeless in Los Angeles for a year. He is now sober and drug-free. Smith said he takes five pills each day to minimize the affects of HIV. “It’s manageable, but the quality of life isn’t good,” he said. Heather Johnson, 19, tested positive for HIV 10 years ago. When she found out about her diagnosis, she was hesitant to tell her friends about it because she was not sure how they would react. “I basically felt outcasted as a child,” she said. “I couldn’t tell anyone. I couldn’t even tell my friends.” Like Smith, Johnson rebelled. “I just didn’t understand myself,” she said. “I was crazy and doing drugs. I felt like I was going to die.” When Johnson came to terms with her diagnosis, she appeared in public service announcements and began speaking publicly about HIV for “Hope’s Voice.” Broque Thomas, kinesiology senior, said he was interested in hearing individuals talk about the experience with HIV and AIDS. He said each speaker’s story was powerful. “It’s not enough to avoid the topic,” he said. “You have to openly educate yourself and others, and that’s the only way we’re going to make the world a better, safer and more accepting place.”
—–Contact Angelle Barbazon at [email protected]